A Clown for God

And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.
Lk.13:29,30

In answering the question, who will be saved, Jesus is clear that many will try and not succeed while many who are considered unworthy will enter the Kingdom of God.

I'm reminded of Flannery O'connor's short story 'Revelation' where the central character, Mrs Turpin, has a vision of end times. She sees a huge company of unlikely souls making their way to the next world. It’s not a ‘respectable’ sight, not a sedate procession, but a mass of people ‘rumbling toward heaven.’ The heaven-bound horde includes ‘battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs.’ 

At the rear of the procession are the 'respectable' people like herself. She could see by their shocked and altered faces that 'even their virtues were being burned away.'

Going by Flannery O'Connor's description, I want to be among the ‘battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs.’  If I remain 'respectable' I risk even my virtues being burnt away.

Jesus, strip away my respectable hypocrisy. I want to be a "Jongleur de Dieu", a clown for God.
Saint  Francis of Assisi, please pray for me.